Peyton Manning wants to play but not sure he'll be cleared

QB Peyton Manning made an appearance in the Colts locker room today but couldn't offer much clarity for his outlook for the remainder of this season and what his surgically repaired neck will allow him to do.

"I really think I would say the 1st of December is probably the next checkpoint," said Manning, who's two months removed from his last procedure and still waiting for nerves to regenerate in his neck.

"That will be three months from the surgery. See where I am from the strength standpoint at that time, from a conditioning standpoint. I just can't give a prediction of where I'm going to be.

"This injury is one that is a little bit unpredictable. You think positively about things being good at that time, but I really can't tell you where they will be at that time."

Even though the Colts are buried in the AFC standings at 0-8, Manning sounds hopeful of practicing and playing this season if he's given permission. But given his current physical restrictions, it seems dicey.

"If I was cleared and able to do that, it would be nice to be able to do that, to go out and participate in a team practice where everything is right there with you, even though you probably couldn't do everything," he said.

"As I've said all along, the roster spot is their decision but while I'm on it that's a hope and a wish. Once again, there really is no set plan because it's still about where I will be when that point arises.

"I miss playing, I really do. If I were to get cleared to play and felt good enough to play, the doctor said it was OK, yeah, I would absolutely love to because that's how I'm wired. That's my job and I miss not being able to do my job. ... Whether it was one game, two games or a couple plays. I miss playing. When you've done something all your career and most of your sports life you've always played, when the doctor says you can go play again, sure, I would like to do that."

Even though Manning remains on the team's 53-man roster, he said he feels "a million miles away" from his teammates given his limitations. Team Vice Chairman Bill Polian said this week that the team has opted not to put the four-time MVP on injured reserve in hopes he can at least practice this season ... which would also help the team assess his physical progress. That could be a key consideration if the Colts pull into position to draft Stanford QB Andrew Luck next spring.

Manning was reluctant to delve into that potential quandary Thursday.

"That's a lot of speculation," he said, "and I don't think that's fair to the players that are playing, to speculate on what draft choice the Colts will have. We might win eight in a row starting Sunday and I certainly hope that we do.

"We've never talked about what draft pick we were going to have before during the past 13 years, so I don't think it's fair to do (that) now."

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About Nate Davis

Nate Davis is a reporter, blogger and editor who's been at USA TODAY since 2000. He has covered the NFL since 2005. No, he did not play quarterback for Ball State. Davis' succession of our esteemed colleague Sean Leahy at The Huddle is considered a Brady-for-Bledsoe swap by most "insiders."More about Nate